It all started with a suitcase of picture books.
The children actively participated in the weekly Skype lessons and that July, four students from Wannie’s class flew across the globe to Xiaolin, a small community located in the mountains of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. They designed and hosted a summer camp for the children. This experience was, in the childrens’ own words, life-changing. It caught the attention of local news, TV, and Wannie and her students were invited to present at international conferences. But there was yet a name for the Skype lessons and the camp, so the kids and the volunteer teachers simply called it, “the Project.”
In the summer of 2010, Dr. Wannie Wang’s Intro to Education class in New York sent a suitcase full of children’s books overseas to Xiaolin Elementary School, located in rural mountains in Taiwan. The class heard that a year had passed since Typhoon Morakot destroyed the school and its small village, and the children still were struggling. The deadliest tropical storm to impact Taiwan in recorded history wiped out their homes and took the lives of many of their families and friends, including the school’s English teacher. The class decided, with the storybooks and some technology, that they would teach the children English.
As our team and organization grew, we evolved from “the Project” to "Project LET’S Go!” with a commitment to making an active change in our local communities. Since our first collaboration with Xiaolin Elementary, we have reached out to more rural schools including those by the ocean in the far eastern regions of Taiwan. With the help of our supportive partners, international and local volunteers, and dedicated team here at PLG, we have successfully hosted more than 11 years of camps through our summer programs. Along the way, we have scaled up to include two semester programs, one featuring a STEAM-based curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), and the other featuring a video podcast with student-generated content.
In 2020, the world was put on hold due to the global pandemic. However, we overcame all odds and adapted our programming to stay connected. PLG has persisted in our goal to inspire one another and we have had great success. With one summer session after another, award-winning participants and programs, as well as the ever-growing family of PLGers, we are confident to say that we will continue to thrive in the face of difficulties and never stop our dedication to our kids, their schools, and their communities. We are looking forward to what’s in store for 2021, and we hope you will come along this special journey with all of us at Project LET’S Go!
Testimonials
“Participating in the project has become such a part of my life. It has inspired me to pursue a career in education. The project has been so influential on me because not only did I teach the kids, but they taught me. I learned more about myself each year at the camp than I could have ever imagined.””
“My experience with Project Let’s Go has been amazing and eye-opening. Never thought I’d teach little kids, but I did it! They were all absolutely adorable, energetic, and creative! I loved spending time with them.”
“My dream is to become a teacher, and joining PLG gave me a great opportunity to learn how to teach and interact with kids. This is a really memorable experience in my life！”
“The three weeks were a total blast. I absolutely enjoyed and loved teaching, interacting, and playing with the kids and other PLGers.”
“When I first joined the program I was anxious that the program would be different from what I expected, and that we would only have a few hours each day with the students. However, through spending 2 weeks in Chishang and Dulan I had the chance to be 120% immersed in interacting with the kids. It was a tiring but truly rewarding experience!”